Murray State University held its groundbreaking ceremony for the new Veterinary Sciences building at the West Farm this Wednesday.

The new building is set to host the Hutson School of Agriculture’s veterinary technology and pre-veterinary medicine programs and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Brian Parr, dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture; Ron Patterson, president of Murray State University; and Laura Ken Hoffman, founding dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine; were among the speakers in attendance at the ceremony.

Parr spoke about the failure of the initial legislation to establish a college of veterinary medicine by the Board of Regents in 1973 and his experience in Frankfort.

“I remember telling the story of animal agriculture in Kentucky and how it related to what we do here at the Hutson School of Agriculture,” Parr said. “This was the rock-climbing in order to establish the first ever school, and now we’re going to call it the College of Veterinary Medicine here at Murray State. There’s been a lot of people that have helped us as we go a long way.”

Parr also thanked Ronny Prior, a lobbyist that assisted in championing the bill to establish the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Patterson spoke about the significance of the new building and thanked the legislators who supported the proposal for a new college.

“Thank you so much for recognizing that Kentucky deserves a college of veterinary medicine,” Patterson said. “This building is a testament to the trust the general assembly (and) the Commonwealth (have) placed in our mission here at Murray State University. Because of your support we have turned the College of Veterinary Medicine from a blueprint to reality on this campus.”

Hoffman spoke of the usefulness of the building to future students, along with thanking legislators and the architects behind it.

“This new facility will help advance veterinary medicine as we continue to serve generations of students and professionals within the veterinary technology, and pre-vet programs, and very soon, serve students of our developing college of veterinary medicine,” Hoffman said. “Thank you to our legislators that made this possible through their generous funding and their continued advocacy for Murray State University. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to everyone in the architectural group Hafer, whose vision and sharp design helped shape this facility.”

Patterson said the Veterinary Sciences building is slated to be finished and open in 2028.